Civil aerobatic jet crashes into sea in southeastern France, pilot killed

A civil aerobatic plane crashed into the sea on Friday in southeastern France, killing the pilot.

The plane crashed into the Mediterranean, off the coast of the town of Lavandou, the prefecture of Var said in a statement.

The pilot's body has been recovered, the statement said.


The prosecutor's office has also launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

The French Air and Space Forces wrote on X that the aircraft was not part of the Patrouille de France (PAF), the aerobatic performance unit of the French Air Forces, instead, the ill-fated Fouga Magister jet belonged to an association.

Following the crash that happened during an airshow, the PAF said that it has canceled its aerial performance.